A Continuous Heartbreak
by Heart's Door
Summary: It's Valentine's Day, and Dark is ready to allow himself to be vulnerable... one last time. Oneshot & epilogue.
1. Hopeful

_Disclaimer: Why bother saying it when we're on _fan_fiction? I do not know... But, you know, I don't own DNAngel..._

**A Continuous Heartbreak **

_He daintily took the flower into his hands, a small pocket knife on the table before him. Dozens of tiny cuts blemished his large hands, and he quirked a brow at the sight._

_What was with those flower shops, anyway? Yeah, yeah, so the flowers were nice. But who would want one with thorns?? Couldn't those flower people think nowadays? Dang people, making their customers do all the dirty work._

_He sensed a presence behind him. A small, gentle hand was placed on his shoulder. He nodded in acknowledgment, but he didn't bother turning around. He knew who it was._

"_Are you sure you want to do this?" Emiko asked. She knew that he wouldn't be damaging his precious thieving hands if he didn't mean it, but she couldn't help but worry that maybe he shouldn't go through with it. Love and affection were precious, but sometimes, for some, love was a fickle thing._

_She sighed. She didn't want him to have to get hurt again. He would never admit it, but every rejection that was shot at him was slowly tearing him down._

_There was a moment of silence before the young man answered._

_Perhaps… Maybe… Maybe it was time to let her go. But…_

_He would show his affections again, one more time. Even if only to have his heart break._

_He lifted his head from his stare at the flower and turned back to gaze at Emiko. A half-hearted smirk tugged at his lips._

"_. . . Positive."_

- - - - -

"Riku!" Risa squealed. "Look!"

Having just entered the classroom, Riku was reluctant to pay attention to Risa's latest update from the gossip mill…thing. Honestly, how could she have already been updated in the two seconds they had been in the room?

The elder Harada sighed. She turned her head slowly to face her twin sister. "Yes, Risa? What is it now? Did Takeshi plaster 'I love you' hearts all over the teacher's desk again?"

Risa shook her head violently. "No, look!!" Her voice reached a new record of highest pitch ever known to man.

Hesitatingly, Riku turned to follower her sister's gaze.

Riku blinked, then rubbed her eyes, not sure if she was having a hallucination.

What in the world. . . ?

Sitting innocently on her desk was a valentine.

The brown-haired twin walked over to her desk, picking it up gingerly with both hands. Her sister eagerly followed, clinging to Riku's arm excitedly.

It was a simple, home-made, heart-shaped card pieced from red construction paper and white, lacy trimming. It seemed so cheap, as though it had been made by an extremely neat six-year-old. Plain and ordinary - the kind of card that anyone could have made. It was so typical, so cliché. There was nothing eye-catching, nothing extraordinary about it. But yet, the card seemed to glow and radiate a simple kind of _tenderness_, and Riku had the feeling that it had been made with much loving care.

A cloud of doubt settled about the girl. Was this really meant for her? What if the card had been accidentally placed on her desk and was meant for someone else? . . . Risa, for instance. Riku hadn't received a valentine since third grade - for the attention was always on her younger sister - so why would she be getting one now?

But the front card read, in the corner, "Riku". There was no mistaking it. Still, perhaps the admirer had made a stupid (a very, very stupid) spelling error? After all, the two sisters were twins, and their names only had a two letter difference…

"Well? Open it," Risa insisted, clutching her sister's arm so hard it began to turn red. As did Risa's already flustered face.

Riku ignored her sister's whispers, turning instead to glance over in Daisuke's direction. Sensing the girl's stare, he looked up from the book he was reading. He smiled. That happy-go-lucky smile that never failed to bring butterflies to her stomach. _A warm, gentle smile_.

She felt her face heat up, and she almost melted into a puddle of love-sick goo right then and there.

"Riku, open it!!" Risa squeaked, impatient to see who was crushing on her dear, elder sister.

Riku took a deep breath, calming her quickly beating heart.

_This is silly. I'm getting worked over a piece of paper,_ she thought.

_But what if it's from Daisuke . . . ?_

She shook her head, attempting to clear her mind from all thoughts.

_Okay, Riku. Pull yourself together. This is a pep talk here, so listen up! . . . GET A GRIP!_

Riku coughed.

Right…

Her stomach lurched as she carefully turned to the inside of the little red card. . .

_Roses are red  
Violets are blue  
Within my heart is love  
Within my mind is you_

_I have a single heartache  
Whenever you walk by  
For you are like the ocean  
And I am like the sky_

_We can't be together  
For true love isn't there  
My thoughts of you are many  
But your thoughts of me are rare_

_Yet, even if you hate me  
And even if you despise  
I'll forever watch you  
Your smile will light my skies_

_Roses are red  
Violets are blue  
You are in my heart  
Do you love me too?_

She heard Risa gasp beside her as her own eyes widened in shock. It was a beautiful poem, really, it was. But… What… How…

What girl wouldn't be surprised to find their valentine… signed . . .

_**Dark**_

Riku's mind froze. Her heart fluttered. Her soul began to churn with millions of unwanted questions and feelings. What was this she was feeling? She hated him, so why would he send her this valentine if she had already made this perfectly clear? She did hate him, didn't she? And did he really even love her? Or was he toying with her? Why were there so many emotio-

A sharp pain hammered her right temple. She flinched and clutched her head, eyes shut tightly.

Images flashed through her mind - so many images, so many thoughts and voices.

_She threw a shoe at the disgusting perver-_

"_Gah, what a loser!" -_

"_Give it ba-"_

_He smiled down at he-_

_White ro-_

"_I love you."_

Her eyes snapped open.

What was that?

Her thoughts were twisted and weaved in a confusing dance, trying to find something, trying to reach something that kept staying just barely out of reach.

She was so _confused_.

After a few heartbeats, Riku took a shuddering breath, picking out from the emotional uproar the feeling that made most sense to her.

"THAT PERVERT! HOW DID HE SNEAK INTO OUR SCHOOL? THAT DISGUSTING LITTLE WOMANIZER! TO THINK THAT HE'D GO THIS FAR FOR ONE OF HIS CHILDISH PRANKS!"

Several heads turned to watch her as her rants grew louder and more wild, her tone indignant, her feelings within getting more and more tangled, confused.

- - - - -

_The Thief could only watch the spectacle through his tamer's eyes, his heart breaking. . . again . . . and again . . . and again._

* * *

A/N: Alrighty, peeps. Happy Valentine's Day. I hope you enjoyed the one-shot. This is actually the edited version; it had originally been a side story in my series 'I'll Win Your Love Again'. The one-shot lacked detail, and I'm going to edit the series, anyway, so I decided to edit this too. (The original is still there, in the series, though. It's awful. -insert awkward cough-) . . . (Hmmm… The oneshot still seems to have a connection to the series… Oh well.) Anywho, please review. :)

(Ah, also, have you ever heard Sakura Drops by Utada Hikaru? It's very beautiful and kind of relates to this one-shot.)

I'll be adding a little, short epilogue to this sometime soon. I think.


	2. Memory

**Epilogue**

Once Risa had gotten over her own shock, she calmed her sister enough to get her to sit down in her chair, leaving soon after to sink into her own little bubble of depression.

Now clear-minded, Riku hung her head, half from embarrassment for acting so immaturely a few seconds ago, half from - what do you know - confusion.

Riku was getting a mental breakdown.

She shook her head, sighing deeply and leaning the side of her face into her right hand.

As she turned her head ever so slightly, a little flash of white caught her eye.

Leaning down a bit, she fetched the object that had seemingly fallen off her desk unnoticed.

The Harada held it gingerly in her hands. It was a single white rose. Not red, like in the movies. Not black like in those dismal novels. White. As white as unblemished, as beautiful, as pure as the bliss of true, tender love. The symbol of a _pure heart_.

_It must have been from Dark…_

Riku huffed, and she made a note to dispose of the appalling mock valentine and rose after class.

But…

She never quite seemed to remember to.

* * *

A/N: Please review. :)  
And for those of you who were wondering about what the Japanese in Sakura Drops by Utada Hikaru means, here's the translation: 

_Falling in love, saying goodbye  
With a vow that this is the last heartbreak  
Even the cherry tree, swaying in the wind  
Will eventually blossom  
The summer rain that started to fall  
Gently streaked past my tears  
Images that resemble memories  
Autumn's drama reruns  
Why have I suffered  
Almost the same blows such countless times?  
But even so, I'll probably fight again  
That is one of life's mysteries  
Falling in love, giving it everything  
With a wish that this is the last heartbreak  
Even the cherry tree, swaying through time  
Will eventually blossom  
In the revolving seasons  
My shoes are wearing out, more and more  
Let go the tension in your shoulders  
So you can seal away the past somewhere  
From here they're probably not too far  
Sceneries you haven't even seen  
I want to overcome the ceaseless pain in my chest  
And become closer to you  
I have wandered about once and returned  
Always grasping for the blue sky  
Falling in love, saying goodbye  
With a vow that today's the first good day  
Everything, even the cherry tree, swaying in the wind  
Softly reaches out toward you  
I love you  
I love you, it can't be helped  
That has nothing to do with this_


End file.
